A wide variety of cleaning compositions which are effective in the cleaning of hard surfaces, such as surfaces normally encountered in kitchens and bathrooms, are known to the art. Many such compositions provide specifically directed cleaning benefits which are targeted at specific types of stains and soils deposited on said hard surfaces. These include, for example, mineral and salt deposits which are known also as hard water stains. Further types of stain which are particularly difficult to remove are aged, dried or baked on stains which are frequently the residues of cooking oils and greases. Such materials are typically not difficult to remove where such deposits are light and/or the material has not yet been permitted sufficient time to dry and harden. However, the converse is also true; after being baked on or dried, such residues of cooking oils and greases are extremely difficult to remove with most cleaning compositions.
A commercially acceptable cleaning composition, in order to be considered particularly useful to a consumer much demonstrate excellent efficacy in the removal of such dried or baked on greasy stains and soils.
A further characteristic which such a commercially acceptable cleaning composition must possess is long term stability. Particularly, a commercially acceptable cleaning composition must exhibit an appreciable shelf stability following its formulation so that it continues to exhibit excellent cleaning efficacy against dried or baked on greasy stains and soils even after several months of shelf life.
A still further characteristic of a commercially acceptable cleaning composition is a sufficiently low level of dermal and/or ocular irritation, such that no unacceptable hazard is associated with the use of such a composition by a consumer.
From the foregoing, then it is apparent that there is a real and continuing need in the art to produce improved cleaning compositions which are especially useful in the removal of dried or baked on greasy stains and soils, and which satisfy further characteristics required for such a product in order to be considered commercially acceptable.
Such a need is satisfied by the present inventive compositions which are aqueous hard surface cleaning composition particularly beneficial in the removal of greasy stains and soils on hard surfaces, especially where such stains and soils are hardened or baked on.